Signal lamp



Dec. 5, 1933. I c H L N 1,938,432

S IGNAL LAMP Filed Sept. 8, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet I 25 J0 liven/7507 2 Cari Z7. Larson Dec. 5, 1933. c LARSON 1,938,432

S IGHAL LAMP Filed Sept. 8. 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec. 5, 1933 UNITED srArss SIGNAL LAMP Carl H. Larson, Elkhart, Incl, assignor to The Adlake Company, a corporation of Illinois Application September 8, 1931. Serial No. 561,641

1 Claim.

The invention relates to signal lamps for railway service, and, as herein disclosed, more particularly to a switch lamp in which the illuminating element is an incandescent electric bulb.

The principal object of the invention is to.

provide for accessibility to the various parts or" the lamp mechanism and its circuit.

The invention is fully hereinafter described, and is illustrated in the accompanying drawings -in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the improved lamp;

Fig. 2 is a vertical central section thereof;

Fig. 3 is a detail section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a detail vertical section showing a modified form of construction;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 2, showing a modified construction of the lamp circuit;

Fig. 6 is a sectional View on the line 66 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a detail section on the line 7-7 of Fig. 5; and

Fig. 8 is a sectional detail of one of the switch terminals shown in Fig. 5.

The lamp is provided with. the usual base or standard 16, adapted for attachment to a suit able support, such as a switch stand. The lamp body or casing is composed of a plurality of sections, the lower section ll being a resistance box, the intermediate section 12 carr ing the lamp proper, and the upper section 13 covering the lamp and carrying the lens or lenses, as 14. The intermediate section 12 is hinged, as shown at 15, to the lower section, and the upper section 13 is hinged, as shown at 16, to the intermediate section.

In the. construction as shown in Figs. 2, 5 and 6, a hasp, in the form of a rod. 1'7, is pivotally attached at 18 to the section 13, and cooperates with a keeper 19 carried by the lower section 11, the keeper being recessed or forked, as shown in Fig. 6, to receive the rod l7,'which carries at its lower end a nut 20 which may be turned up against the lower face of the keeper for securing the hasp thereto. When the lamp casing is closed, as in Fig. 2, the intermediate section 12 is securely clamped between the upper and lower sections.

adjacent sections are independently locked together, the intermediate section carrying a hasp 21, cooperating with a keeper 22, and the upper section 13 carrying a hasp 23 cooperating with a keeper 24 on the intermediatesection 12.

In the construction illustrated in Fig. 4, the

In both forms of construction the hasp may take any desired form, that illustrated being, however, preferred for simplicity.

The leading in wires 25, 26, preferably enter through the bottom of the body section 11, and lead, respectively, to a binding post 2'? and to a resistance element 28. In the con emotion of Fig. 2, wires 29, so, continue the circuit to the lamp mechanism of any preferred form, generally indicated by the numeral 31, this mechanism being secured to the bottom 32 or" the intermediate section 12 of the casing and projecting into the upper section 13. The wires 29, 39, are of 'sufiicient length to permit the intermediate section 12 to be swung backwardly about the hinge 15. The details of the lamp being immaterial to the invention, they are not further described.

The connections between-the local lamp circuit and the binding posts in the lower section or. the c'asingmay take a form such as shown in Figs. 5 to '8, whereby the necessity for employing wires of suflicient length to permit the complete overturning of the intermediate section of the casing is avoided. To this end make and break switches. are introduced into the lampcircuit and so arranged that their elements make contact when the intermediate section 12 closed upon the lower section 11.

As. illustrated each of these switches comprises a spring terminal 33, mounted on a binding post 34, which is in connection with one of the leadingdnwires and preferably taking the form or" a helical coil 35, which may be turned downas a screw upon threads formed on the post. .The other element of each Switch takes the form of a leaf spring 36, attached to a block of insulating material 3'7, secured to the under face or" the bottom 38 of the intermediate section 12, from the fixed end of which spring. leads one of the wires, as 39, of the local circuit oi the lamp.

When the intermediate section of the casing is closed down upon the lower section these leaf springs 36 and 4.0 engage the upper ends of the springs 35 and 41, and close the. circuit to the lamp. When the casing is opened the circuit is automatically broken, the leaf springs plate and projecting into the dome and carrying an incandescent bulb positioned at the focal point of the lens, leading-in wires entering the casing, a resistance coil within the casing and connected with one of the leading-in wires, 2. local lamp circuit connected with the coil and one of the leading-in wires through spring contacts carried by the plate, and means for locking the dome to the casing,

CARL H. LARSON. 

